Interviews

Kids' family travel tips and why they love family vacations. 9-year-old Winnie Mastores has recently become a bit of an expert on Asia having just spent over 5 months traveling around the region with her mum Tahli and brothers Gus (6) and Myles (3). Winnie may not have been attending school while she was visiting Cambodia, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar and Thailand, but along the way she and her brothers used currency conversion and kilometres covered to practice their maths and blogging to practice their literacy skills. And Winnie learnt one of the most important skills of all – how to use travel to push herself out of her comfort zone.

Meet travel writer Eric Stoen of family travel blog Travel Babbo. If you think you’re well traveled, Eric is about to make you feel like a positive home body. This dad has been to 81 countries and 24 just last year. 19 of those he traveled to with his three kids Evelyn (11), Henry (9) and Sadie (7). He has been to such faraway places as Myanmar, Ethiopia, Oman and even Antarctica. His goal is to get to 5 new countries every year and he usually manages to set foot in at least 15 in total. He shares his expert family travel tips with suitcases&strollers.

Nikki Quinn is a single mum who lives in Singapore with her son Harvey (19 months). In his short lifespan Harvey has been to 12 other countries including Malaysia, Vietnam, South Africa, Montenegro and Ireland. Nikki chats to suitcases&strollers about the reality of family holidays as a single parent and why it’s worthwhile to keep traveling with kids, even if it does mean you have to preplan to go to the toilet!

How travel changes after kids. While some folks do still backpack with kids or have enough support to jet away on romantic, expensive weekends away without children, for most parents travel becomes a vastly different beast when you start to plan family holidays with kids. Here is a humorous list of some of the changes you can expect when you going on family vacation with kids.

Interview with IMC paediatrician Dr Claire Rebentrost in Singapore. As a New Zealander based in Singapore, Claire has been all over the globe to about 20 countries including Samoa, Czech Republic, Australia, Majorca and the USA. An International Medical Clinic Singapore resident doctor, these days she travels three to four times a year around Asia and beyond with her two kids Oscar (4) and Hugo (2). She tells suitcases&strollers her family travel tips for traveling with young kids.

How to hike Mount Fuji in Japan with kids. In 2014 the Steele family trekked up Mount Fuji with their two kids Matthew (9) and Emily (7). Despite being the highest mountain in Japan (Mount Fuji is 3776 metres tall), the children still successfully completed the mountain climb on their own. suitcases&strollers chatted to mum Vanessa about how they achieved this extraordinary feat and and how they planned this interesting and unique family holiday.

The reality of cycling the Great Western Greenway with kids in Ireland.
There are bike paths opening all around the
Emerald Isle so tourists can access more of its natural beauty. Skye Wellington, of Lens & Pen Project, tells suitcases&strollers about about her experience cycling with her kids,
Matilda (5) and Flynn (3), along the 42 kilometre stretch of Irish highway, and
how she may have been taken for a ride.

Interview with Cora Montgomery of family travel website Tropic of Candycornabout the family holidays kids like the best. Cora is 11 years old and has already been to over 10 countries including exotic destinations such as Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, Panama and Spain and around much of the USA. She and her siblings Hero (9), Philippa (6) and Minerva (3) typically do on 6 week trip a year with their parents as well as additional smaller trips throughout the year. This jetsetter tells suitcases&strollers her very frank (and sassy!) opinions about what kids like (and don’t like!) about family travel.

Which family holidays do kids like the best? Emily Steele has been to 9 countries around the world including visiting the Neuschwanstein castle that inspired Walt Disney in Germany and climbing Mount Fuji in Japan. At 8 years old she is eager to learn about the world around her and she and her brother Matthew (10) are already planning their next trip with their parents to Uganda. She tells suitcases&strollers about the value kids see in family vacations and why you should travel with your kids.

City guide to travel to the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, with kids. Anaïs Pagès-Peeters is the Creator of Kids Weekly, (a newspaper for kids in Cambodia), baby accessories business Globe-Crawlers and mother of two kids Emile (3) and Madeleine (1). The French native has been based in Phnom Penh with her kids and husband for 6 years and, while the city is still developing, she says there is still a lot to offer travelers looking to see a different side of Cambodia from the Siem Reap tourist trail. She tells suitcases&strollers her travel tips for how you can and should visit Phnom Penh with kids.

Profile of International Medical Clinic Singapore’sDr June Tan. As a family doctor based in Singapore, Dr June Tan sees a lot of families with medical questions relating to travel with kids. As a mother of two kids herself – Jade (2) and Pierce (8 months) – she has also experienced a bit herself. In the past June lived in Berlin and took advantage of that time to travel around Hungary, the Czech Republic and Latvia. She’s also visited places like Nepal, Egypt, China and Taiwan. These days she does 2 to 3 long family holidays with the kids and jokes that despite having been to multiple parts of Europe and the US, she is still yet to see much in her own backyard of Southeast Asia. She shares her family travel experiences with suitcases&strollers.

Tips for teaching kids to ride a bike. Cycling is a skill that not only allows kids to explore their neighbourhood; it can also be an activity you can take with you when you travel with kids too. From how to choose the right bike for kids to how much you should be spending, Kenneth Wee, Cycling Coach at Singapore Bike School gives suitcases&strollers his extremely comprehensive and helpful parenting tips for riding bicycles with kids.

Family travel tips for Nova Scotia with kids. Lisa Gleave lives in Nova Scotia with her kid Solomon (6) where she is also General Manager of Mermaid Theatre. While the productions of her company travel the world (The Very Hungry Caterpillar & Other Eric Carle Favouritesis appearing in Singapore in March), Lisa is also passionate about the joys of her home area and wants to share them with other parents. If you love the great outdoors, quiet beaches and being on the water, she says, Nova Scotia is the perfect family holiday destination. Here is her insider destination guide to travel with kids in Nova Scotia.

Insider’s city guide to Shanghai with kids. Tatum Hawkins is the Style Editor for City Weekend Parents & Kids magazine. As the mum of two girls Tess (4) and Rue (2), she is very familiar with moving around the city of Shanghai with kids. She tells suitcases&strollers all about the best (and worst!) bits of living in the city she has called home for the past two years, Shanghai, with kids and why you should be visiting too.

Washington DC with kids. Kate Gallery owns Recess Outings, a company that coordinates family friendly bicycle rides around the capital city. As a mother of an 18 month old daughter, she understands how to move around her hometown with kids and knows all the city secrets for the best activites for kids in Washington DC. She shares her insights into the best museums, neighbourhoods and (most importantly) venues to coffee and ice cream around town with suitcases&strollers.

City guide to Helsinki with kids. Aleasha Kimber of blog Little Traveller Things is an Online Fashion Editor and mother of a 2 year old and 4 month old. While she agrees her current hometown of Helsinki is impressive in the winter, it is best to visit in the summer for the many free parks, outdoor areas and delicious pastries. Aleasha tells suitcases&strollers her city secrets to discovering Finland’s capital, Helsinki, with kids.

What it’s like to travel with kids with allergies. Ryan Flynn and Hillary Paparo enjoy taking their kids on family holidays but, for them, the planning involves more than just choosing a nice resort or spontaneously trying some local street food. These two families both have kids with allergies that prevent them from throwing caution to the wind and traveling without a fixed, pre-booked itinerary. And yet still these parents have ventured beyond their hometowns and are taking their kids to see the world, one trip a month, one destination at a time. They tell suitcases&strollers about the realities of traveling with children with allergies.

Activities for kids in Bright, Porepunkah and surrounds. Bright in Victoria makes for one of the most memorable country escapes outside of Melbourne. Set in the Ovens Valley, there are gorgeous mountains surrounds, many activities to do in the Ovens River and plenty of bike and walking paths to explore. If you are looking for a picturesque countryside escape, this is a pretty special place.

The Man in Seat 61 tells suitcases&strollers his favourite train journeys with kids. Mark Smith is a career railwayman who has travelled all over the globe including from London to Tokyo via Moscow’s Trans-Siberian Railway, to Turkey, Syria and Jordan and around Hong Kong, Mongolia and Beijing. His kids Nathanel (9) and Katelijn (6) have followed him and his wife Nicolette on train journeys from the UK to Italty, Switzerland, Spain, Morocco and right across the USA from New York to Los Angeles. Wherever he goes, he always tries to sit in Seat 61 and documents his travels plus lots of other useful information for train enthusiasts on his website. Here are his really thoughtful insights into why travel by train with kids is so much more rewarding than any other form of transport.

Insider’s city guide to Bagan in Mayanmar with kids. Exotic temples and loads of history just waiting to be discovered. These are the things that keep Mark Simmons, Chief Pilot of Balloons Over Bagan, returning to Bagan every year. Since 2007 he has been spending 6 months of the year in Myanmar with kids Henry (10) and Lewella (7). He tells suitcases&strollers why Bagan with kids is a such a unique cultural and travel experience that families traveling with kids should not miss.